This week I spoke to Amy, who aged 20 is a qualified gym instructor and sports masseuse, about keeping fit and how you too can find the motivation to do it.

Amy

Keeping fit is a big part of Amy’s life, exercising six days a week doing interval training three times a week and weight training five days a week. For the last eight weeks Amy has been constantly weight training and can currently leg press 180 kg (the equivalent to about 180 bags of sugar.)

Amy suffers from degeneration in her lower vertebrae and so finds it important that she is healthy and fit.

“Exercise makes me very happy and constantly motivated, not just in fitness but in general life. Also, having suffered from degeneration in my lower vertebrae exercise is very important to keep a strong core and to build muscle around the affected areas.”

The key to keeping fit is having a role model and Amy’s fitness role model is Bella Falconi, a Brazilian Body Builder. As “she is very strong minded, unique, motivational and inspirational.” Amy says. Bella only started getting into health and fitness in her late 20’s, which goes to show that people can become fit and healthy at any age, you don’t have to be young and full of energy to start working out.

Being healthy and fit doesn’t mean exercise and rabbit food. Amy allows herself one ‘cheat meal’ a week, where she allows herself to have something not as necessarily healthy and this helps her avoid craving unhealthy food.

“I believe cheat meals are very important. When you tell yourself you can’t have something you’re going to want it even more.”

You don’t have to stick to a specific diet to be healthy; it’s simply what you allow yourself to do. Amy suggests that if you are serious about losing weight or even gaining weight then it’s good to have a diet plan, where you plan and prepare meals, otherwise it is very easy to lose track of what you are eating.

Lifting weights is typically associated with being muscular and body building, but Amy states that this is not always the case and is definitely not the case for her. Weight training with diet and cardiovascular exercise burns more fat than cardiovascular exercise and diet alone. Cardio shrinks fat and muscle down whereas weight training shrinks fat but strengthens the muscle so it keeps your body toned.

“You don’t have to be a body builder to lift weights and you don’t have to look like a body builder if you do lift weights. To get bulky you have to eat more calories than your average allowance and take supplements and also lift heavy weights daily, unless you do this there is no chance of looking like a female Arnie!”

Amy works with her personal trainer who makes sure her posture is right, creates a programme tailed for her, advises her on nutrition, measures her progress and makes sure she is free from injury. Which Amy finds having a back problem very important.

Amy’s advises that to stay motivated you should think about how far you have got so far and to think it would be a shame to lose everything for something that will taste good for all of five minutes.

“I look at my progress so far and think about two very famous quotes: “strive for progress not perfection” and “my actions will be the evidence of my desire”

Amy’s advice on how you can become fit if you aren’t necessarily at the moment:

“Set yourself a goal, whether it be losing or gaining 2lbs a week or running 5K, it is very important to set your own goals. Do not let anyone tell you what your limits are, you know how far you can push yourself. If you haven’t exercised before it is important to take things easy at first to let your body adjust to the change, the last thing you want to do it put your body through trauma. When you’re tired or bored of exercise just remember why you started in the first place and do not give up! Find someone who inspires you and at every chance you have look at their blog, profile, pictures etc… I find that motivates me the best, instagram is amazing for inspiration!”